Gus Henry HoffmanMissing since July 4, 1978 from San Jose, Santa Clara County, California Classification: Involuntary

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: January 4, 1958

Age at Time of Disappearance: 20 years old

Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'8"; 150 lbs.

Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes.

Dentals: Available

Hoffman with his Bike

Circumstances of DisappearanceGus was not a biker, but one of his hobbies was to restore vintage motorcycles. In October of 1977, Gus bought a 1966 Harley Davidson that he spent eight months restoring to mint condition. He planned to sell it when finished.

On July 4, 1978 he finished the work on the bike, showed it off to his brother, and took the bike for a ride. He never made it back home. When Gus didn't return, his mother reported him as missing to the police. Since the police couldn't do anything for 48 hours, his mother started canvass the neighborhood. A witness reported seeing Gus with two other men on motorbikes. The men were later identified as bikers from a motorcycle gang. The bikers had argued with Gus, and threatened him with chains, and when he left on his bike, they had followed him.

Gus' mother worked for many years to try to find out what happened to her son. She went undercover to biker hangouts and hired a private investigator. An informant told her Gus had been killed, and that he was tortured for days. The informant feared for her life, and would not talk to the police. After one of the bikers was killed, people who had been too afraid to talk to the police before, started to cooperate. Investigators found out that Gus had been forced to go to the residence of the leader of the motorcycle gang. He had been forced to enter the garage, where acts of violence toward him took place. This resulted in his death, and the disappearance of his motorcycle.

More than ten years after Gus' disappearance, three suspects were charged with Gus' homicide and sentenced to life in prison.
No trace of Gus Hoffman was ever found.

InvestigatorsIf you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

San Jose Police Department
408-277-4786

Agency Case Number: 78-1879614

NCIC Number: M-374133132 Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.